The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States - 1992

Table 6.1

Other Effects of Alcohol and Drug Abuse on Society, 1992 (millions of dollars)

Cost

Total

Alcohol

Drugs

Value of Goods and Services

Crime

$24,282

$6,312

$17,970

Social welfare

$1,020

$683

$337

Motor vehicle crashes

$13,619

$13,619

-

Fire destruction

$1,590

$1,590

-

Total, Direct Costs

$40,511

$22,204

$18,307

Lost Productivity

Victims of crime

$3,071

$1,012

$2,059

Incarceration

$23,356

$5,447

$17,907

Crime careers

$19,198

$19,198

Total, Indirect Costs

$45,625

$6,459

$39,164

TOTAL

$86,136

$28,663

$57,471

Source: Analysis by The Lewin Group.
Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding. Other costs resulting from alcohol- and drug-related crime, motor vehicle crashes, and fires (e.g., health care costs, premature death) are estimated and reported elsewhere in this report. Estimation of crime-related lost productivity attributed to alcohol and drug abuse is described in chapter 5, section 5.6.